A Tintin Adventure: The Jinxed Jewel
by sanjana.manchala
Summary: Tintin and his rival, Eden Irvine, set off with the gang: Captain Haddock, Calculus, and Snowy in order to retrieve a mysterious tourmaline rose (made in Sri Lanka). The chase leads them from Belgium to Spain to who knows? On the way they encounter adventure, peril, danger, and maybe...romance? This is my first fic, so no flames, please? Thank you. 3 Read and Review, please? :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The phone rang. Snowy barked. Tintin groaned, and pulled the covers over his head. Same old morning routine. The young reporter decided to ignore the tremendous amount of noise that reverberated against the walls of his house every morning. And, as usual, he couldn't do anything to shut out the commotion. He grumbled and opened his eyes, sitting up reluctantly. The telephone began to ring again. Loudly.

"All right then, I'm coming," he yawned, rumpled and grumpy. He picked up to receiver and asked sleepily, "Hello?"

"Tintin?" a feminine voice called into the phone. Great. Tintin rolled his eyes. It was that new star reporter from La Moderne, Eden Something-or-other. They were always childishly competing against each other to get to the story first. And apparently, she was ready to jump on an adventure to get to the answers.

"What do you want?" he asked irritably.

"Goodness, you don't need to jump down my throat like that," she said, pretending to be offended. "Have you gotten your newspaper yet?"

"I don't know," Tintin replied. " I just woke up."

"Well, go find your paper then," she instructed impatiently. Tintin looked around his room in spite of himself. He found the newspaper on the bedside table, faithfully delivered by Nestor.

"Found it, now what, Your Highness?" he asked sarcastically.

"Turn to the front page," she answered. He could almost hear her foot tapping, but he listened to her and hurriedly opened the paper to the first page. The headline that greeted him completely shocked him. His jaw dropped.

"Wow," was all he could manage.

"Pretty impressive. Right?" Eden asked in a self-assured manner.

"Yes, I suppose," Tintin responded, trying to keep his tone nonchalant.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Get over here quickly, or I'll beat you to the story!" Tintin smirked.

"No way," he retorted. "You wish." He put the phone down and unbuttoned the top of his pyjamas. He tossed them carelessly on the ground and made his way to the shower. Snowy barked at him. "Sorry, old boy, but we've got to get there early." His terrier whimpered.

Five minutes later, Tintin was out of the shower, fully dressed and ready to go. He pulled on his shoes and stuffed his wallet into his pocket. Snowy followed him, yipping all the way out.

"Driver, to the National Museum," Tintin commanded, getting into the car in a rush. Snowy barely made it into the car.

Another twenty minutes, and the car was right outside the National Museum. Tintin jumped out with Snowy. He ran up the stairs and through the regal door.

A familiar head of wavy, dark brown hair popped into view. Tintin made his way towards it, followed by Snowy.

"You're late," the girl said, turning around. She bumped into her rival's chest.

"You're short," Tintin replied. "What's new?"

"Well, they still haven't found a single lead on the jeweled rose," Eden replied, turning back around and flipping through her notebook. "And the director has no idea who would want it. All the employees are long-standing and trustworthy. He gave me a list of collectors who might be unscrupulous enough to try and steal it, though."

"Can I see?" Tintin asked, reaching over her shoulder to get her notebook. Eden pulled away from him and turned around, her hazel eyes sparkling.

"That would be counterproductive," she giggled. "It defeats the purpose of a competition." Tintin rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Eden!" he exclaimed, but she shook her head in reply, with a small smile on her face.

"No," she said. She held her notebook away from the other reporter and turned back to interviewing the director. There was no more information that he could provide. "Thank you very much for your time," she said. "You've been very helpful."

"Tintin?" two familiar, identical voices came from behind him. He turned around.

"Ah, detectives," Tintin said, a little relieved for better company.

"Already at the scene, are you?" Thomson asked.

"Yes, I just arrived here, actually," Tintin answered.

"What have we got for you?" Thompson asked.

"To be precise, what have you got for us?" Thomson sagely corrected him.

"Er-uh-yes, precisely," Thompson said.

"Not much, really, I haven't gotten around to asking any questions yet," Tintin replied helplessly, looking around. Then, his eyes fixed on Eden, and he smirked. She was busy flipping through her notebook. She looked up and met his eyes with a puzzled look on her face. He beckoned her, knowing she wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to show off her knowledge. He steered her by the shoulders ahead of himself and thrust her under the noses of the detectives. "Detectives, I'd like to introduce my friend and rival reporter, Eden – er – "

"Irvine," Eden whispered to him.

"Irvine," Tintin repeated immediately. "From La Moderne. She has all the information you need." Eden looked at him in shock. "Go on then," Tintin said softly. "You love telling people what you know." She narrowed her eyes at him. But in the end, as Tintin had expected, she couldn't help but rattle off the information that she had found out.

While she reported everything that she had gathered, Tintin stood by, listening and noting anything of value in his own notebook. Unfortunately, he couldn't get the list of collectors out of her, but he would take that from Thompson and Thomson later. About halfway through her report, Eden realized what had happened, and she turned and glanced at Tintin rather acidly. He just gave her an easy smile.

"And that's all the director could tell me," Eden said, flipping her notebook shut.

"Thank you very much, miss," Thompson said. "We've been very helpful."

"To be precise, you've been very helpful," Thomson corrected. The twins nodded.

"We'll be taking your leave now. Goodbye, miss. See you later, Tintin!" they both called as they left. Thomson tripped over his laces and Thompson bumped into them.

"Oi, why don't you watch where you're going?" Thomson snapped.

"But I was following you…" Thompson shot back, as they quarreled and stumbled their way out of the museum. Tintin smiled and shook his head.

"Those two," he sighed. "They'll never change." He turned around to see Eden glowering at him. "What?" he demanded. "If you weren't such a little know-it-all, then you would've thought better of it."

"Fair enough," she responded. "All right, you win this time. And if I were you, I'd make my way to Almeria right away." Her eyes twinkled. She bent down and patted Snowy on the head. "Goodbye, boy," she said. "I'll be seeing you," she said to Tintin, straightening herself up. She walked off gracefully. Snowy whimpered as she left.

**"**Snowy," Tintin said firmly, "don't pay unnecessary attention to people who don't matter." Although, he was also watching the other reporter as she disappeared out the door. Snowy barked at him in disapproval. Tintin snapped back to attention. "Come on, boy," he said. "Let's go home. We need to get to Seville as soon as possible."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tintin arrived back at home with Snowy, and they eagerly burst into the main hall, where the captain was busy reading the paper.

"Tintin, did you hear about this incredible theft?" Captain Haddock asked.

"Yes, that was just what I went to ask about," Tintin answered impatiently. "We need to make our way to Almeria. Apparently, that's where we may find our first hint about the stolen rose."

"You didn't happen to hear this from that girl reporter from the other paper, did you?" Haddock asked his friend mischievously, knowing him all too well. Tintin flushed.

"You got me," he said. "Although I wouldn't like to admit it, she is a reliable source. But I need to get this story, and get to the bottom of this theft."

"No, you don't have a cleft," Calculus piped up, having just entered the room.

"Professor," Tintin sighed in relief. "Get your things packed. We're going on a trip."

"Would I like to have a chip?" Calculus questioned, taken aback. "No thank you, not so early in the morning." Haddock smiled. Tintin gave it up and went to pack his things. Snowy trotted off after him.

He picked up the telephone and dialled the number of the travel agency.

"Hello?" he said into the phone. "Yes, Mr. Watson, I'd like to book three tickets on the next ship to Almeria." He waited for a moment. "All right. The day after tomorrow? Perfect. That'll do nicely. Thank you very much." He put the phone down and dusted his hands off. "That takes care of that." He smiled and began folding up his shirts to put into his suitcase.

"Where's the professor?" Tintin asked, looking around for his eccentric companion.

"Thundering typhoons, where's the deaf old coot gotten off to now?" Haddock grumbled, turning his head about.

In due time, they had found Calculus. It turned out that he had been inspecting the engine room of a nearby vessel, marveling at the technology.

"You old nutcase, you," Haddock scolded. "Stay standing here with the rest of us."

"An octopus?" the eccentric man asked, looking around. "Where?" Haddock groaned in exasperation. Suddenly, a trolley suitcase ran over his foot and he jumped up.

"Yeowch!" he yelled, grabbing his toes. He turned around to give the offender a good mouthful. "Can't you watch where you're going, you blundering buffoon, you!" The guilty party turned around, tugging her suitcase away. The young girl flushed and looked up at the captain apologetically.

"Excuse me, sir, I really am very sorry," she said. Captain Haddock softened.

"It's all right," he accepted gruffly. Just then, Tintin drew his attention to the scene and his eyes widened.

"Eden!" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?" His rival reporter grinned charmingly.

"Why, following a lead," she replied. "Same as you, I suppose," she added. Captain looked at Tintin questioningly.

"Captain, Professor, I'd like to introduce to you a reporter from La Moderne," he began in response. "This is Eden Irvine, my rival." Captain smirked.

"Pleasure to finally meet you," he said, offering his hand. Eden shook it.

"I assure you, the pleasure is all mine," she declared. Professor Calculus, in the meantime, was busy studying Eden's facial features.

"Have I seen you somewhere?" he asked, examining the young woman carefully. Eden was clueless. "Were you ever in a film, perhaps?" the professor inquired. "You look like a film star." Eden flushed.

"N-no, I was never in a film," she stammered bashfully. "Though I thank you for the compliment." Tintin narrowed his eyes. The boarding call was anounced.

"All right then, we'd better be getting a move-on," he said. "As should you," he added to Eden, who smiled politely at the others and wheeled her luggage off.

Once they were on the ship, Captain settled down into an armchair in their suite cabin. Tintin sat in a chair opposite him, immersed in a historical fiction novel.

"You know, she's not as much of a nightmare as you made her out to be," Captain declared. Tintin looked up from his book.

"Who?" he asked, pretending not to know who he was talking about.

"That girl reporter," Captain reminded him testily.

"Oh," Tintin stated simply. "Yes, I suppose." He went back to his book. Captain smiled.

"Always got your nose in your books," he remarked. Tintin nodded, turning a page.

"It's how I relax," he replied.

Professor Calculus burst into the suite, obviously very excited. The two of them had no idea that he had gone anywhere.

"Captain, you've got to see this!" he exclaimed. Captain Haddock looked up. "There is an Olympic-sized swimming pool on the deck!"

"Yes, I know that," he responded gruffly.

"No, not a tub for a bath," Calculus said impatiently. "Come on, you've got to see it. Remarkable engineering." Captain rolled his eyes and went along with it. Tintin smiled in amusement.

'It's too quiet it here,' he thought after ten minutes. 'I think I'll go out for a walk.' Snowy was fast asleep. Tintin smiled, marked his page, put his book down and exited the cabin. The deck was wide and spacious, and there was a cool, misty breeze blowing around, which ruffled his ginger hair.

He looked up and saw a familiar brunette, leaning on the railing and quietly observing the people on the deck below.

"Can't give it up, can we?" he asked, making his way over. She looked up and grinned.

"Can't get a leopard to change its spots," Eden retorted playfully.

"Well, if you were a leopard," Tintin replied seriously. "You're more of a wild stray cat." Eden gasped offendedly and glowered at him fiercely. "See?" he continued. "I can almost see you hissing and scratching right now."

"That's very kind of you," she snapped sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind, you're interrupting my thought process."

"What are you thinking about?" Tintin asked, determined to get in the way.

"What I'm going to do next when we get to Almeria," she answered, calming herself down.

"And what is that?" he questioned.

"I haven't thought of it yet," she responded.

"Do you have any plans or ideas?" he inquired.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" she shot back.

"Of course! We're reporters, it's our job!" Tintin exclaimed in reply. Eden had no answer. Fortunately, she was saved from making one by the arrival of the Captain and the professor.

"Ah, Tintin," Captain said. "And it's nice to see you again, Miss Irvine." Tintin frowned briefly that someone who had just met her could remember her last name and he couldn't.

"You as well, Captain," Eden replied politely with a charming smile.

"Oh, it's you again, my lovely young lady," Professor Calculus cried warmly, just taking notice of Eden's presence. "Would you care to join us for dinner?" he asked, before anyone could say anything.

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly…"

"Sure you can," Tintin interrupted with a forced smile. Eden looked up at him with wide, shy eyes. "I insist," he added. The girl flushed.

"All right, then I accept," she answered bashfully. A small smile played around Tintin's lips. Captain Haddock smirked.

"Well then, we'll see you in the lounge at 8 o'clock," Captain said jovially. "Don't be late," he added with a wink. Eden nodded, still looking incredibly shy.

"See you later," Tintin said, walking away with Captain and Calculus.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Chirping cockatoo, going on about his engineering," Haddock grumbled, settling down in the armchair once more. Tintin sat down in his own chair, opposite the captain.

"Well, this is nice, isn't it?" he asked his seafaring friend.

"Yes, we get to relax before going of on a gallivant again," Captain returned sarcastically. "Wonderful."

"You're a sea captain! You know you love to gallivant," Tintin said slyly. Captain closed his eyes and nodded slightly. "And it's been quite a long while since our last adventure in South America," Tintin added. "And I'm sure it's not going to take so long."

"Well, since you're such a Nosey Parker," Captain replied, "I don't suppose you can't avoid it. I'm just glad that we can go on a cruise to this lovely adventure of yours."

Someone knocked on the door, causing both of them to look up. Calculus was busy sorting out his clothing in his room of the suite.

"Who could that be?" Tintin wondered out loud.

"It might be your reporter girlfriend," Captain responded coolly.

"She's not my.." Tintin began, flushing.

"Whatever," Captain hastily said, putting his hands up placatingly. Tintin stood up to get the door.

"Oh, how wonderful to see you here!" he exclaimed, in a somewhat strained manner. "Please, come in!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Tintin, Carissimo Mio," a lady's voice laughed. An irritatingly familiar, Italian-accented voice that Captain Haddock knew only too well. He grabbed Tintin's book and covered his face with it.

Bianca Castafiore swept into the room, followed by Mr. Wagner and Irma. Her eyes fell on Captain Haddock, and her face brightened up.

"Ah, my dear Captain Hatbox," she gushed. Captain pulled the book off of his face and forced a smile.

"H-Hello, Signora Castoroil - er - Castafiore," Haddock hastily corrected himself on seeing Tintin's look. He took her proffered hand and brushed his lips against it reluctantly.

"We were just going down to dinner," TIntin interjected with an amused smile. "Weren't we, Captain? It's nearly eight." He turned to Madame Castafiore and said politely, "Madame, if you'd excuse me, I have to go change for dinner." He left to go his room. He found himself a smart black suit and gray shirt. Pulling these clothes on, he decided to eschew a tie.

In five more minutes, he left his room and came out onto the living suite once again.

"Fabulous," Madame Castafiore remarked. "Now shall we go?"

"We?" Captain repeated.

"Of course," the primadonna replied. "You didn't think I would let this reunion go uncelebrated, did you? You silly man, Captain Hoofsock. Come now, we shall all go to dinner together." The Captain groaned sullenly.

"Let's hurry," Tintin said urgently, pointing at his watch. "It's five to eight!"

They proceeded to drag the poor professor out of his room and along with them to the lounge.

**Sorry for the short chapter, guys! It's filler, i know T.T...but bear with me! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tintin's eyes immediately fell on the familiar brunette, though she had her back to him. At the moment, she was holding a conversation with a young man about some archaeological dig. What fascinated Tintin was that the listener actually seemed interested in what Eden had to say. When the girl turned around, Tintin nearly gasped aloud. She was dressed in a white cotton peasant top and a flared, washed denim skirt, and her layers of dark brown hair cascaded in waves down to her shoulders.

"At least try not to gawk, dear boy," Captain Haddock teased. Tintin was about to protest, but he realized that he was indeed gawking. When Eden had caught sight of them, she smiled brightly.

"Excuse me," she said to the young man. "I beg your pardon, but I have an engagement. I must go." She made her way over to her new friends and Tintin.

"Wonderful to see you here again, Miss," Captain Haddock greeted her politely, stealing the first word from Tintin.

"You as well, Captain," she replied with a smile.

"Ah, Eden," Tintin said, starting back to reality, "let me introduce to you, word renowned diva..."

"Madame Bianca Castafiore," the operatic star interrupted. Eden looked absolutely delighted.

"What an honor to meet you, Madame," she gushed. She glanced at Tintin. "I had read that you had such famous and talented people in your acquaintance, but it is truly wonderful to actually meet a celebrated singer." Tintin smirked. Eden sure knew how to flatter people.

When they had found themselves a table, Tintin and Eden found themselves sitting opposite each other.

"So, any developments?" Tintin asked casually, taking a sip of his sparkling water.

"No, not anything particularly significant," Eden answered, looking directly at him. "But once we get to Almeria, I'm sure something will turn up. Although," she said thoughtfully, "I did happen to get it from the captain of this ship that the collector who lives in our destination was on this ship four days ago."

"How did you find that out?" Tintin asked, grudgingly impressed.

"I happened to get a look at the passenger list," Eden replied with a small, telltale smile.

"So what do you know about this jeweled rose?" Tintin inquired. He knew all about it, of course, but he wanted to test her knowledge.

"Well, I know that it was carved from a large, fine specimen of watermelon tourmaline," Eden began. "It was crafted in Sri Lanka as a gift for the Principessa of Venezia in the late seventeen hundreds. It has been stolen many times, and has earned the nickname of the "jinxed jewel" over time. Very valuable, it has been appraised to be worth at least two hundred thousand euros. If the man who stole it this time can manage to sell it, he would be a very rich man indeed." She looked up at her fellow reporter. "Now are you satisfied that my research is as thorough as yours, or would you like to test me to find gaps and inaccuracies?" Tintin was startled. She had seen through him.

"All right," Tintin conceded. "You win. Now, how far have you gotten on this story?"

"As I said earlier," Eden responded with a shrug, "not very far at all." Captain Haddock had to stifle a laugh.

"So, Captain Bootblack," Castafiore interrupted them, "are you and Tintin and Professor Candyfloss coming to watch my performance at Sevilla on Friday?"

"We'd love to, Madame," Tintin declared gallantly.

"And I dare say your ragazza would like to come along?" the primadonna asked, a look of mischief in her eyes. Eden turned a bright shade of pink.

"Of course, Signora, she would love to," Tintin replied coolly. He smiled politely at the diva, who looked satisfied with her matchmaking plan. Captain Haddock smirked. Now he knew exactly what was going on here.

The rest of dinner was an entertaining affair, with jibes and quips going back and forth between Eden and Tintin, very reminiscent of Elizabeth and Darcy. Most of them were about the reporters' respective papers.

All in all, the night ended well, with the men bidding the ladies a good night and departing from the door of the lounge. Tintin found himself gazing after Eden as she left.


	5. Chapter 5

"All right, here we are!" Tintin exclaimed, as he, Captain Haddock, and Professor Calculus deboarded the ship.

"Are we going to get straight to it, are we?" Captain asked, looking around the harbor.

"I must say, this looks like Spain," Professor Calculus observed. Tintin's mouth turned up at the corners.

"It is Spain, Professor," he explained.

"No, my dear fellow, I assure you, I am not in pain," Calculus returned, taken aback. "Although that voyage did put me slightly off-balance."

"We'll be getting to the hotel in a little while," Tintin said. "So you don't have to worry about it."

"I'm perfectly fit, thank you very much, dear boy," Calculus responded in a slightly irritated tone. Tintin gave it up.

"There's a taxi!" Captain cried, flagging it down. Tintin loaded their suitcases into the trunk and got into the front.

"A donde?" the driver asked him.

"Iramos al hotel 'Plaza del Arroyo'," he answered.

"Usted habla espanol?" the driver questioned, starting up the car. "Te pareces a un extranjero."

"Es cierto," Tintin conceded, "pero tengo un interes en el aprendizaje de idiomas."

"Eso es bueno. Mucha gente de la ciudad no se toman el tiempo para aprender sobre la cultura," the man explained.

"Es la verdad," Tintin agreed.

In about another fifteen minutes, they were at the hotel. As usual, Tintin had booked only the best of the best (on the Captain's insistence). Their hotel was four storeys high, built in a Mediterranean hacienda style. The grounds were sprawling, and from the high-ceilinged lobby, Tintin could see a large swimming pool, two tennis courts, and one badminton. Across from the lobby, in the opposite wing of the hotel, was the restaurant. The furniture, as far as Tintin could tell, was antique imperial Spanish style.

"Lovely," he heard a familiar female voice said from behind him. He was scared to turn around, and yet his incurable curiosity prevented him from doing otherwise. He saw dark brown hair in a low braid and sighed. It was true what they said about bad luck following you everywhere. The girl turned around and her eyes widened. Tintin tried his best to ignore her presence, so she did her same. She walked straight past him and to the reception desk, where, irritatingly, a young, handsome Spanish man was in charge.

"Señorita, what can I do for you?" he asked politely.

"Puedo tener la llave de mi habitacion?" she requested.

"Si," the young man answered. "Bueno, la chica bonita habla espanol." Tintin frowned. The receptionist handed Eden a room key and winked, saying, "Llame si necesita cualquier cosa."

"Como no," Eden responded innocently. She took the key from him and went towards the elevator. Tintin and his friends went to the reception desk. Captain spoke.

"My good fellow, can we get the key to our room?" he asked.

"Si señor," the young man replied. He handed them their suite key and they made their way to the elevator as well.

Captain entered the suite, flung himself on the sofa, and kicked off his shoes.

"Aaaah, this is the life," he sighed. "What do you say, my good fellow?" He addressed the Professor.

"Yellow? No, I should believe this room is more of an off-white color," Calculus replied blithely. Of course, the Captain always happened to forget that the professor was nearly deaf, and talked to him as if he was an ordinary person with no aural affliction whatsoever.

"So, I'll be taking your leave for a while," Tintin announced. "I fancy taking a round of this resort. Seems like a very peaceful place." He pulled off his jacket, folded it neatly and placed it on a settee. He changed into more comfortable attire - a dark blue polo shirt and a pair of jeans. He exited the suite and walked down the stairs to explore the expansive gardens of the retreat.

There were lots of olive trees bordering the path, along with fragrant rosemary shrubs. Tintin looked up and saw huge date palms towering over the shorter trees and shrubs. Here and there, bright blooms of bird-of-paradise were scattered among the bushes. He caught the scent of lilac and took a deep breath. There were neatly trimmed hedges of juniper as well.

Suddenly, he heard someone humming somewhere nearby. It was a familiar tune...Frank Sinatra - "Come Fly With Me". Unconsciously, he began humming along. He turned left at a fork to see a narrow path covered with light sand. So this led to the beach. The tune was louder along this path. He followed the sound of the humming and the light lilting whoosh of waves against the shore. The path ended in an ornately carved wooden gate. He pushed it open and stepped out onto the expanse of white sand. To his great disappointment, he caught sight of an irritatingly familiar head of brown hair. He rolled his eyes, but decided to find out what Eden was doing on the beach. She was perched on a rock, her pencil flying furiously over a pad of paper. Curious, he clambered up the back of the rock to investigate what she was up to. Silently, he leaned over and looked down at the pad of paper. It was a perfect likeness of the sea, entirely in pencil.

"You're quite the artist, I see," he remarked to startle her. It worked. She started and her pad went flying into the sand below.

"What is wrong with you? You don't just sneak up on someone like that!" she cried, getting off the rock to retrieve her sketch book. "And where's your dog?"

"His name is Snowy!" Tintin told her. "And he was right behind me!" The bewildered reporter looked all around himself.

"Would you like me to help you look for him?" Eden asked. Tintin was about to refuse but he could use all the help he had.

"If it isn't a problem," he answered.

"Of course not," Eden declared. "You've got the sweetest dog in the world, and it would be a shame if he got lost."

Ten minutes later, they were hunting the bushes and shrubbery, and they still hadn't had any luck.

"Snowy! Stop playing around now!" Tintin called impatiently. "This is no time for games." He tapped his foot.

"Snowy! Where are you, boy?" Eden demanded, turning all about as she walked. The other reporter unconsciously watched her. "What are you gawking at?" Eden said, snapping him to attention. "Come and help me took for your dog!"

"Right you are," Tintin said. They arrived at a fork in the road. "You go left, I go right."

"All right," Eden responded, taking the left turn. "We'll find Snowy, don't worry." Tintin nodded and took the right turn.

He continued down the path, calling his dog.

"SNOWY! I don't care if you've found a cat to chase! Come here right now!" he cried. He frowned. "Where could that rascal have gone off to now?" he muttered to himself. He spied a pair of furry white legs peeping out from a bush, reached out, and grabbed them. "Aha! There you are!" he exclaimed, pulling the pair of legs and its body out of the bushes. A pair of bright brown eyes stared up at him. A pair of long white ears flopped around a small, pointed, pink-nosed face. Tintin rolled his eyes and let the rabbit go.

Just then, he heard footsteps from nearby and whirled around. He collided with someone and fell on top of them.

"Oh, my, I'm really sorry," he said, pushing himself up on his elbows. He looked down and noticed the person he had fallen on. It was Eden. Her face was bright pink. Tintin smirked and stood up. "Well, did you find my dog or not?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Eden shot back, sitting up. "If there's no dog here, then I didn't find it. Gosh, what star reporters have come to these days," she grumbled, standing up and dusting herself off. Tintin frowned for a moment.

Just then, they heard a loud yelp, which sounded as though it came from a dog. They both looked up and hurried towards the source of the noise.

"Snowy!" Tintin cried, sprinting swiftly to the spot. The dog barked at him happily. "Snowy, are you all right, boy?" Snowy yipped and licked Tintin's face to show that he was okay. Tintin chuckled.

"Tintin, what's that in his mouth?" Eden asked, pointing. Tintin looked. "It looks like some sort of dog treat. Maybe he wandered off and someone found him and gave him a dog treat?"

"Well, if that's all that happened, then that's perfectly fine," Tintin responded cheerfully, looking up at Eden with a smile. Eden didn't return the look. She felt strangely suspicious of the people who had intercepted Snowy. "What's wrong?" Tintin asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"It's probably nothing," she sighed, sitting down on the grass. "I just found it odd that he went off for a wander without anything to wander after, you know?"

"Snowy's just like that," Tintin assured her. "He's perfectly fine, see?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Yeah, I guess so," Eden said, still frowning. Then she smiled. "Now that that's settled, let's go back inside. We don't want Snowy running off again, do we?"

"No, i supposed we don't," Tintin agreed, returning her smile. They started off back to the hotel. "So," Tintin said, "how's your side of the investigation going?"

"Would I tell you if it were going anywhere?" Eden retorted amicably.

"Good point," Tintin agreed. "A reported must try to extract as much as they can from their sources, though. I mean, you can't really blame me for trying."

"No, I really can't," Eden laughed, her smile widening. They looked up, realizing they had already reached the lodge. "Oh, we're already here!" she exclaimed. "Well, I'm glad we managed to find Snowy. Have a good evening, Tintin."

"You as well, Eden," Tintin returned as they parted ways. Eden gave him a small wave before she turned and made her way to her room.

The next day, Tintin, Snowy, the Captain, and Calculus all decided to head over to the Maritime Museum. There always seemed to be one in every port city that mattered.

"Why are we going to this Museum again?" Captain Haddock demanded.

"Because we want to find out as much as we can about the jewel," Tintin explained patiently for the umpteenth time. "Also, I'm on the lookout for anyone who might look shady enough to have stolen it and hidden it somewhere in the Museum."

"How convenient that the museum just so happens to be on the docks, eh?" Haddock asked, nudging Calculus.

"On the rocks?" he cried, surprised. "My dear Captain, I know you well, but don't you think it's a little early for a drink?"

"No, you deaf dingo! The _docks_!" Haddock exclaimed. "Thundering typhoons..."

"I assure you, I am in no need of a shock," Calculus replied benignly. Tintin chuckled.

"It's always the same with you two," he suggested. "Maybe you should stop trying to explain things to the Professor. I mean, you know very well that he hasn't got a very good ear."

"Deer? Where?" the Professor cried, looking up like an excited child. "We're not even near a woods!"

"Oh, you lugless lemur, you," Captain Haddock grumbled, looking out the window in a temper.

"So, Captain, you were saying something about the museum being on the docks?" Tintin asked, trying to ease the Captain away from his tantrum.

"Yeah, I was just thinking," he said, sitting up straight and looking his friend in the eye, "that maybe if the rock is at a museum so close to the actual port, that someone is trying to smuggle it out of here on a cargo ship of some sort."

"That's actually a sound idea," Tintin mused. "I mean, it's not like it hasn't happened before. Remember the _Karaboudjan_? That's exactly what was going on!"

"I know, that's what made me think of it," the Captain confirmed. "I mean, according to your research, it's worth a lot of money, isn't it? And it's an important part of cultural history. I'm sure that whoever stole it is trying to ship it off to some wealthy collector in Italy or Saudi Arabia."

"How did Brainless Bluebeard figure that out?" a raspy voice demanded, listening carefully to their conversation. "I thought the kid was the one with the brains."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, boss," another person responded. "They've all got brains, including the mutt."

"Well, whatever it is, I want it taken care of at once," said the first voice. "I want you all to get rid of them, the same way as we did the first time we encountered that nosy little pup. Only this time, it has to work."

* * *

**Phew! Finally, am I right? I'm sorry I took a break from this for so long, but I've been working on exams and college paperwork, so it's been a hellish month. :-/ However, now it's up so read away! By the way, any guesses as to who the sketchy people are towards the end of the chapter? Read and Review! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Herge, except my OC Eden Irvine. In addition, the plot is also mine, and how ever much I would love to own Tintin and his friends, there is not even the slightest possibility of that (until I earn bags of money :D) But until then, you've won this one, Herge! :P **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Their taxi pulled into the parking lot of the Maritime Museum soon enough. Tintin paid the driver his fare and got out with his friends. The museum itself was surprisingly large for a relatively small city. Its architecture impressed Tintin, both in terms of size and style. It wasn't modern from any standpoint. Instead, the building sprawled out like a landlord's hacienda, much like the hotel they were staying at, only a lot older and severe-looking.

As they entered the building, Tintin took note of the incredible tile work on the floor of the entrance foyer. The tiles were very Mediterranean - each a rich peacock blue with a slightly different saffron-colored pattern. It was impressive.

"Tintin, look!" Captain Haddock exclaimed, drawing Tintin's attention away from the floor and up to a wall with a Renaissance-era painting of a familiar ship on it. "It's the _Unicorn_! I believe it sailed past this side of Spain on its way to Barbados!"

"That's actually pretty incredible, Captain," Tintin remarked, studying the plaque. Indeed, there was mention of the Haddock family, including a family tree with every descendant. Tintin never knew that the Captain had such a large extended family. "Your name's on here too, along with the rest of your surprisingly huge family."

"Yes, I have so many relatives that I forget a lot of their names," Haddock replied airily. "Of course, I'm old enough to tell them I'm going slightly senile." At this, Tintin chuckled.

Professor Calculus bobbled over, somewhat dragging someone by the arm with him.

"Tintin, look who I found," he said. "It's your pretty reporter friend."

Indeed, much to Tintin's surprise and competitive chagrin, there was Eden. She always seemed to be half a step ahead of him.

"Hello," Tintin greeted her. "I see you found your way to the museum as well. Mind telling us how you managed to reach this conclusion?"

"Same way as you did, I suppose," Eden replied. "With my brain." Captain Haddock snorted in amusement, earning him a withering glance from Tintin. "Tintin, I don't see your name anywhere," Eden went on, looking at her rival reporter. "You don't happen to own this museum, do you?"

"No, why?" Tintin asked, a little confused.

"Then you have no reason to ask why or how I arrived here," Eden said with a smirk. "I'd even say it's none of your business." She nodded politely at the Captain and the Professor. "If you need me for anything else, I'll be out on the docks," she went on. "Ships quite interest me. If you'll excuse me." With a flip of her dark, wavy hair, she sauntered off to the other end of the museum.

"What's gotten into _her?_" Tintin asked snidely.

"Nothing, as far as I can see," the Captain said with a small smile. "She's just behaving like you do around her."

"That's rubbish!" Tintin sputtered.

* * *

"How convenient, don't you think?" the raspy, heavily accented voice said. "They're just making it so much easier to line them up and take shots."

"Trust me, boss," the other man warned. "These people are not to be toyed with. They always find a way to get out of traps at the last minute."

"Well then, we have to make sure they don't have a last minute, now, won't we?"

* * *

"I think we should take a look at those ships, don't you?" Captain Haddock suggested, his eyes twinkling. "I'd rather like to see their old freighters."

"I'm sure you would," Tintin groused.

"I'm an old mariner, Tintin," the Captain replied. "Indulge me." He looked over his shoulder. "Professor, come on! We're going out on the docks!"

"For the last time, Captain, I don't want a drink," the Professor retorted sharply, following Tintin and the Captain nonetheless.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think? Good? Not good? Intriguing? Not intriguing? Let me know what you think is going to happen next, and who you think the mysterious men are.**

**Disclaimer: All Tintin characters belong to Herge. The only things I own are Eden Irvine and the plot. ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Soon enough, they were on the rather expansive docks. True to his word, Captain Haddock was actually examining the histories of each ship. Tintin rolled his eyes. This was obviously not why he had been dragged out here.

"'Allo, it's Tintin and the Captain! And the Professor!" a familiar voice cried from behind them. "What on Earth are we doing here?"

"Er, to be precise, what on earth are _you _doing here?" another, very similar voice corrected. Tintin turned around to see none other than the Defective Detectives themselves - Thomson and Thompson.

"Well, I'm here hot on the trail of the story of the Jinxed Jewel," Tintin replied. "And I'm following the leads wherever they take me. What about you?"

"We've just been up on a freighter," Thomson said, "interviewing the crew. They say someone saw a man carrying the very same jewel aboard another vessel."

"Is that so?" Tintin asked, pulling out his notebook. "Go on."

"Well, it's classified, but since we know each other so well," Thompson said, looking around and lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Apparently, a mate saw someone sneaking around with something long and thin wrapped in a silk handkerchief. At one point, the hanky accidentally slipped a little, and the mate saw the jeweled rose inside it."

"Are you sure it was _the _rose?" Tintin demanded.

"Yes, we're sure as eggs are eggs," Thomson affirmed. (reference from The Broken Ear. :P) "It sparkled very brightly, and the mate was a mere five meters away from the man with the handkerchief. He also told me that the ship was on course for the Naples."

"All right then," Tintin said, patting the detectives on the back. "Thanks, detectives. If you want, I could follow up on the lead, but act as though I'm just a curious reporter."

"Yes, but you must be very discreet," Thompson hissed. "One mustn't lose sight of their cover."

"Of course," Tintin whispered back.

"Righto," the detectives chorused. "We should be on our way then."

"Mum's the word, Tintin!" Thomson said.

"Yes, dumb's the word!" Thompson agreed. Tintin smiled and shook his head, watching as the bumbling detectives sallied off, tripping over the painter and accusing each other of not watching where the other was going as they went. Same old, same old.

"What did the Wonder Twins want?" Captain Haddock demanded.

"They gave me some information," Tintin explained. "According to them, a mate saw someone sneaking off with the jeweled rose last night. They stashed it aboard a ship on its way to Naples."

"Really?" the Captain asked, surprised. "Well then, we should be blazing the trails to Naples, then, shouldn't we?"

"No," Tintin mused, his eyebrows furrowing as he zoned out, thinking hard. "It seems too convenient. I think we should go aboard the ship that the Thompsons were just on and get their stories straight. I think they just dangled the biggest red herring of all time in front of us." He looked at the Captain. " But there's something I must do first," he said firmly. "Although I'm regretting the idea already."

He headed away from the Captain and the Professor, on the lookout for Eden. Perhaps they needed to pool their resources on this one. Snowy followed Tintin on his short legs, barely able to keep up.

"Eden!" Tintin called, turning all around as he ran. "Eden, where are you?"

A familiar brunette head poked out of the entrance of a tourist store selling seashell jewelry.

"What is it?" she asked, mildly taken aback.

"Come on, I've got an idea, and I need your help," he said, grabbing her by the hand and making a turn back to his friends.

"Tell me what it is before I fly off like a kite!" she cried, stumbling along with him.

* * *

"I told you that boy is overly suspicious," the man said. "You of all people should remember that."

"Yes, I do, but maybe this is just the opening we were looking for," the raspy voice chuckled, listening to the conversation.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun! All righty, I'm going to keep writing this until I run out of words/ideas for the day. Again, I really apologize for taking such a long time to update, but here I am with the third update of the day! :D **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Eden and the plot. All other characters belong to Herge. **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"All right, here's what we're going to do," Tintin said, once they were away from the docks and back inside a secluded corner of the museum. Snowy was off staring at a painting of the _Unicorn, _trying for the life of him to place where he had seen it before. "Eden, Snowy, and I are going to go aboard that ship the Thompsons just got off of," he continued. "Captain, you and the Professor stay on the dock in case something goes awry. If we aren't back in fifteen minutes, sneak on board the ship and try to find us. Be as discreet as you possibly can."

"Er, excuse me," Eden interrupted, raising her hand slightly. "Sorry, but what's my role in all this?"

"You're going to serve as a distraction," Tintin answered.

"Meaning?" Eden demanded testily.

"Meaning you're going to ask them all the questions that a reporter usually does, while I sneak around the hold trying to find the actual jeweled rose," Tintin explained.

"Why don't I get to sneak around? Why can't you be the distraction?" Eden asked.

"They're sailors. You're a woman. Need I continue?" Tintin said.

"Fine, but after this, the two of are going to have a long discussion about how it's not all right to objectify women," Eden declared. "Mostly me talking, and you listening."

"All right, all right," Tintin said exasperatedly. "But for now, just, please do as you're told, and we'll write the article together. I'll even credit you as my colleague."

"Really?" Eden asked, excited.

"Yes," Tintin sighed. "Now, are we all clear on what we have to do?"

"Crystal," Captain stated. "Isn't that right, Professor?"

"A fight?" Calculus asked, nonplussed. "Not in the middle of the museum. I would rather suggest an arm-wrestle, Captain."

"Never mind," Captain groaned, rolling his eyes. "Just come along."

* * *

Snowy looked up, noticing that his master and friends weren't around him anymore. He caught sight of them heading towards the back door of the museum. Barking joyfully, he shot off after them and caught up to them quickly, pawing at Tintin's jeans.

"Oh, there you are, boy," he said. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to." Eden glanced at Snowy suspiciously, but then let her feelings slide.

"Right, we'll stay put right here," Captain Haddock said, pointing his thumb at a souvenir store. "The old bat will probably be better occupied around seashells and fossils. I'll be keeping time for fifteen minutes. All right?"

"Perfect," Tintin confirmed, holding up his last three fingers to signify his approval. Turning to Eden, he asked, "Shall we go?"

"Yes we shall," she replied, ducking out of the store with him. Snowy pranced along with them, around their feet.

"Here she is," Tintin said as they pulled up to the oddly familiar freighter. It was about thirty feet high from the sea level, and at least three times that long from bow to stern. The outside had been painted a deep blue-grey, but Tintin couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this ship somewhere before.

"Is this where we split up?" Eden asked, dropping her voice to a whisper and looking around to make sure that no one was listening.

"Yeah, I guess so," Tintin replied, similarly lowering his voice. "I'm going to try to get in without anyone seeing me."

"All right, be careful," Eden warned him. "I would hate for our rivalry to end for some stupid action on your part."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Tintin said lightly. "But not to worry, I've done this at least a dozen times."

"Yeah, each time ending with you nearly killed somehow," Eden pointed out dryly.

"How do you know?" Tintin asked slyly.

"That's not the point," Eden snapped, blushing. "Just try not to get yourself killed."

"I'll be fine," Tintin assured her. "But you take care of yourself. This is the first time you're doing something stupid like this, isn't it?"

"How do _you _know that?" Eden returned.

"That's not the point," Tintin echoed. "Let's get going."

"Right, let's get going," Eden said.

* * *

**All right, fourth update of the day! :D I feel like I'm on a roll here, but knock on wood. :P However, I must ask you guys - do you like where it's going? Who is the mysterious villain? And how to they know what's going on all the time? Is there a traitor?**

**Disclaimer: Tintin and his friends belong to Herge, and I own only Eden and the plot. **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tintin turned away from Eden and made his way down the pier and tried to see if he and Snowy could find a way to sneak directly into the hold. Eden, on the other hand, went around to the other end of the pier to climb up the gangplank.

"Hello?" Eden called, standing on the deck and waiting for one of them to notice her. "Is there anyone aboard? Captain?"

"Here I am," a hoarse, sinister voice said from behind her. Eden started and turned around. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Oh, there is no problem," Eden assured him. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions. I'm a reporter, you see - with _La Moderne_, in Belgium."

"Oh, big newspaper," the man said with a rather creepy semblance of a smile. "Well, come into the navigation room, Miss...er..."

"Irvine," Eden supplied. "Eden Irvine."

"Miss Irvine," the man said, leading her to the room. Eden didn't like the feeling she was getting from being around this guy. He was tall, wearing a beige trench coat, with a scruffy stubble on his face. His nose was crooked, and his beady black eyes sparkled with some sort of cruel enjoyment at her discomfort. To put it simply, she didn't feel safe.

"This office is charming," she remarked, sitting down in one of the seats.

"Thanks," the man said, smirking. He took a seat facing her and leered at her, making her look at her hands in discomfort. "So, what were these questions you wished to be answered?"

"Well, word around the docks is that one of your mates saw a man holding the jeweled rose that was recently stolen," Eden said, pulling out her notebook. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Yes, actually, I do," he said, leaning forward. "But I haven't even introduced myself yet. Where are my manners? You need to cite your sources. I'm Captain Allan Thompson." Eden gasped under her breath but forced herself to relax.

* * *

Tintin looked around to see if anyone was around to watch him. When he was sure that there was no one there, he crept under the shadow of the gangplank and grasped the rope lattice that held it in place. Reaching down with his free hand, he picked Snowy up and stuffed him into the front of his coat. Slowly and silently, he began is upside-down ascent up to the ship.

He struggled to keep his grasp on the ropes, which were cutting into his palms. Snowy was weighing him down, and he had to force himself not to relax. His legs began to cramp up as he exerted his greatest effort for them to not go slack.

"Dear God, this hurts like hell," he grunted, pushing himself as hard as he could.

* * *

"So, Captain Thompson," Eden went on, "according to your mate, someone came out of the Maritime Museum with the rose wrapped in a silk handkerchief, and they ran aboard another ship, which prepared to set sail about five minutes later."

"Yes," Allan confirmed.

"And how did you know that the rose was in the Maritime Museum to start with?" Eden asked.

"It was big news in town," Allan said. "About four or five days ago. We'd been in town for a few days already, and we saw it on a local news bulletin."

"Is that right?" Eden asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "That's rather odd, considering it was stolen from the National Museum of Cultural History in Marlinshire about a week ago. Now tell me, Captain Thompson, why would a stolen object be brought to a new town as an exhibit? Unless, of course, it was being smuggled, and wasn't part of an exhibit at all?"

"You ask an awful lot of unnecessary questions, girlie," Allan sneered. "In fact, you sound a lot like that friend of yours - Tintin."

"Well, you're not giving me any answers, Captain," Eden retorted smoothly. "One would almost be convinced that you were lying."

"Lying, am I?" Allan asked, his lips curling up into a smirk. "Well, let's see how you like this!"

Eden felt something heavy hit her in the back of the head. She saw an awful lot of brightly colored spots before everything in her vision went dark.

* * *

Tintin hung onto the brim of the porthole, waiting for Snowy to climb through it. His grip was slipping, because his palms were terribly scraped up and bloody. Once Snowy was inside, he grunted, using his last burst of strength to hoist himself aboard the ship. Now he could finally relax and take a breath. Snowy started to whimper. He scampered over to a wall and began to paw at it. Tintin glanced at his dog, befuddled at his odd behavior, and then suddenly realized that he was in a very familiar place.

As he studied the holding cabin that he was in, his mind recalled vaguely the sound of champagne corks popping so loudly that they were mistaken for gunshots. He held his nose in the air and took a deep breath. There was a lingering vinegar-y scent, mixed with a hint of crab than made Tintin nearly shout as he realized where he was.

* * *

"It's been fifteen minutes already, and they aren't back yet," Captain Haddock announced, trying to tear Calculus's attention away from the fossils and shark teeth.

"A vet? Why, is something wrong with Snowy?" the Professor asked, puzzled.

"Yes, Professor, and Tintin and Eden as well," he said, dragging the poor old man out of the shop.

When they were out on the docks once more, Captain Haddock looked at the freighter that Tintin, Eden, and Snowy had gotten aboard. He blinked twice, not daring to believe his eyes. An expression of horror bloomed on his face.

"Billions of blue bilious blistering barnacles," he gasped under his breath. " That's the bloody _Karaboudjan_!"

* * *

**Ta-dah! So one of the villains has revealed himself to be Allan Thompson, our favorite first mate-turned-captain. Now, any guesses as to who the boss is? Keep reading and reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tintin or any other characters except for Eden and the plot. Everything else belongs to the genius creator - Herge. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Just as realization dawned on Tintin, he heard heavy footsteps coming down the corridor outside the hold. The wheel lock on the door turned and clicked. Snowy started whining and covered his muzzle with his paws. Tintin sat in a corner of the hold, appearing harmless, but preparing to leap on his attacker and punch the lights out of him.

The door flung open, and in walked a person that Tintin wished he would never see again in his lifetime - Allan Thompson.

"Tintin," Allan sneered.

"Mister Mate," Tintin replied coldly. Allan smirked and tossed something heavy into the holding cabin. Tintin gasped. It was Eden, and she was unconscious.

"Not so tough, are you, when your girlfriend's in trouble?" Allan laughed harshly. "You thought you were so clever, didn't you, Tintin? Well, guess what? After seeing your tricks so many times, we know better now."

"Who's 'we', Allan?" Tintin demanded. "I know you're not smart enough to work this plan out on your own. You probably relied on someone else's brains to come up with it. Tell me who you're working for!"

"Work it out yourself, Brainiac," Allan sneered. "One stupid move and I crush the girl's throat with my foot." Tintin's eyes burned, but he knew there wasn't much he could do. "That's more like it," Allan went on, shifting Eden over with his foot. "Now show me your hands." Tintin complied, but not without an acidic glare in his captor's direction. Alan merely smirked, whipping out a length of chainmail. He bound Tintin's wrists together and sauntered towards the door. "I'm going to leave your dog in here," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Because your dog can't chew you to escape this time."

* * *

Several minutes later, Eden felt a dull throb in the back of her head. Her eyes fluttered open and she dragged herself up into a sitting position. As her surroundings swam into view, she caught sight of Tintin's blue eyes looking directly at her. She held her head and groaned.

"What...what happened?" she asked groggily.

"Well, you learned that there's a first time for everything," Tintin quipped, relief overflowing his voice.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "And why does my head feel like a tonne of bricks?"

"What I mean is that you said you've never been in a stupid, potentially dangerous situation before, and this is your first time," Tintin explained, smiling sheepishly. "And as for your head, you were clubbed with something heavy and thrown rather unceremoniously into this hold."

"Lovely," Eden groaned, leaning up against the cool metal wall. "Remind me, _whose _idea was this?" A small smile appeared on her face.

"You know that perfectly well," Tintin chuckled. "Now, are you sure you're all right? You haven't gotten a concussion or anything?"

"I don't think so," Eden said. "I mean, now that you've reminded me, I remember exactly what happened up on the deck. That foul Allan Thompson."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Tintin agreed. "I know you've probably read about him in various accounts of my adventures, but you don't know what that man can do. This ship used to belong to Captain Haddock, and Allan had him addicted to alcohol. Soon enough, Captain was perpetually blind drunk, so Allan could carry on with his drug smuggling operations."

"That's awful!" Eden exclaimed. Then something occurred to her. "Tintin, listen. When I was talking to Allan up on the deck, he already seemed to know that we were on the same page since we've been in this city. In fact, I'm sure he knew we were on our way onto the ship long before we came up with our plan. They've been several steps ahead of us all this time."

"How's that?" Tintin demanded. Eden shushed him warningly. She whistled softly for Snowy to come over, and the dog complied. Eden ran her fingers through the fur on the little terrier's neck and found his collar. She felt around the leather fabric until her hand closed around something small. Pulling it off the collar gently, she showed it to Tintin.

"It's a bug," she whispered. She found the jug of water that the mates had left for the two of them and dropped the bug in there.

"Where did it come from?" Tintin asked.

"Remember that day when Snowy went missing suddenly?" Eden reminded him. Tintin nodded. "I couldn't shake the feeling that someone had lured him away. And the dog treat in his mouth just added to that suspicion. I think one of Allan's cronies found him and bugged his collar, while distracting him with a biscuit. Does that make any sense?"

"Perfect sense, actually," Tintin said. "I can't believe they'd use my own dog against me."

Just then, the sound of the ship' foghorn blared, causing Tintin and Eden to jump.

"They're preparing to set sail," Tintin whispered. "This can't be good. The Captain and the Professor were supposed to get us off this tub!"

"They might already be on here and biding their time," Eden said. "Oi, what's that around your wrists?"

"Chains," Tintin sighed, holding up his hands helplessly. "They've bound me like a slave."

"Hmm, well, it seems they've forgotten about me," Eden grinned, holding up her hands. They weren't bound at all. "Why do all bad guys make one stupid mistake?"

"Because they're bad," Tintin said, returning Eden's grin. "All right, if the porthole directly above us is open, then I have an idea."

* * *

**All righty, Chapter 11 is up! I wonder what happens next! Are Haddock and Calculus on board or did they not make it? And who is Allan working for?**

**Disclaimer: All Tintin characters belong to Herge. I only claim Eden and the plot.**


End file.
